Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-12-24
THE PHONOGRAPH AT WORK.
Tests With Edison's Experimental
Instruments Some Curious Combin-
ations OF sounds.

YorE EreniRg Post, Mr.. Ed son has 81
far finished some specimens of the typ
Of photograph which he intends to pu
on the market next January that many
interesting tests are possible. While
these experimental machines are not Sc
perfect in their working as the finished
ones will be, very fair notion of what
the coming photograph will do may be
obtained from them. These first ma
chimes are made from the parts of the
orig nal phonograph with which Edison
worked six months ago, and lack the
delicacy of action which may be safely
expected from the mach mes TO be
manufactured with the aid of costly
and very beautiful machinery which he
has devised a factory ut Bloomfield
is now working upon this machinery
for turning out monographs, and some
parts Of the instrument are already be-
ing made. The capacity of the Bloom
field factory VIII be about twenty-five
monographs a day ut first. to be dOub-
led should the demand warrant it. The
first five hundred monographs will be
ready before the end of January. IN
less some expected delays occur. Orders
for monographs now come into the
Ed son laboratory in Orange at the
rate of twenty day from all parts of
| the world.
Yesterday Mr.. Edison showed the
only working photograph now in his
possession to Il reporter, and though it
was not in perfect adjustment, owing
TO the fact that it had been repeatedly
taken apart and put together within the
last week by machulStS who are max
ing tools for the wholesale manufac-
ture. the results of certain tests to
which the instrument was put were
wonderful, and quite sufficient to show
that the phonograrh will be Il perfect
" practicable and commercial apparat
Us, and will do what Mr.. Edison mas
claimed for it.
SO far as the mechanism of the new
monograph may be described at pres
ent. il consists of Il cylinder which re-
wolves upon Itself and also has Il side
movement governed by Il very fine
thread. so that fixed pencil would
trace upon the cylinder spiral with
the lines almost touching. The mo-
tive power used is electric motor devils
ed by Edison himself. very poor mo-
tor economically considered. put one
which does its present work of turning
the Cylinder at an almost nominal cost
and without noise, which is the great
thing to be sought. The motor runs
with four cells of q simple battery.
which can be renewed at the end OF each
month for less than dollar; with this
power the photograph will work for
four or five hours every day during
the month. Upon the cylinder is plac-
cd n sheet of soft substance somewhat
resembling the wax used at times with
the old photograph. The chief feature
of the new Instrument made b. Ed son
in the last six months in the phOno-
graph consist in a rad cal change in the
apparatus by which the vibrations of a
diaphragm under the sound of voice are
marked under the cylinder and also in
the reproducing apparatus the two be-
ing entirely distinct, while in the old
photograph the same device was used
for both purposes-to make the sound
indentations and to reflect them when
the phonogram was repassed through
the machine.
The phonograms will be sold in the
shape of small cylinders one and
quarter inches in diameter and from one
TO four inches in length. The one-iuch
phonograms viii contain two hundred
words or what is considered quite suflic-
lent for an ordinary business letter;
they will cost ID cents dozen. The
full size phonOgrams of four inches in
length will contain eight hundred to
one thousand words. according to the
rate of speed of the speaker, and will
cost about So cents dozen, OF course
there is no manipulation of the apa-
ratus necessary. Ii will occupy about
the room necessary for q typewriter.
the cells going in any closet or under
the table. The motor will be boxed
over, and nothing but the revolving
cylinder and the mouth piece in view.
One touch of little switch sets TIE
.iiOilOi. ilic
piece is adjusted to the cylinder and
the talking may begin; tine same pro-
cess is gone through when the machine
is to read. 1t Will be seen that the cost
of the phonograms is u great deal
more than that of letter paper, but
provision is made for the use of the
same phouOgram over again twelve
times if the messages which it contains
are not worth keeping. y little knife
is attached o the machine which takes
q shaving I the surface of the phonO-
gram even-thousandths of an inch
thicsl and gives II fresh surface, this pro
cess may be repeated twelve times. The
boxes for ma ling the phonograms will
he resdy at the same time with the in
struments. and resemble the old-fash
ioned wood-turned pill-boxes. Mr..
Edison hopes to get the government
TO carry them at the same rate as let
tiers.
The phonoGrams for the reduction of
books or long pieces Of music will be
entirely different from the CONNIE, cial
sizes and will measure four inches in
diameter by ten inches in length. Each
phonogram of this S &c will contain
about ten thousand words. or perhaps
more. and, from tests made last week
with .ISicholas Nickleby," that book
will GO into eight cylinders of this size.
The duplication or multiplication of
phono grams of books or music is now
the problem with which Edison is steady
working.
The speed at which business letters
can be dictated in satisfactory man.
ner to the monograph has been a mat